Post-fire water quality in Fern Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park
Mollie Hendry (Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University)
2023-12-15
Background: Fern Lake
Fern Lake is an alpine lake that lies within the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park. It has been known to be affected by two recent wildfires, one of small size in 2012, and one of significant size in 2020, the East Troublesome fire. The East Troublesome fire was started near Troublesome Pass, CO and grew to a size of 193,812 acres in less than 2 months. The fire is the second largest in Colorado state history.
Fern Lake:

Photo Source: Mollie Hendry
Photo of me collecting lake samples on a raft:

Photo Source: Mollie Hendry
Burned forest surrounding Fern Lake:
